Academy Days
by FrozenLotusOTP
Summary: Join Ekko and the gang as they stumble through the struggles of school and all that it entails. (Primarily a Timebomb (Ekko and Jinx) fanfic with a few other odd pairings (KatXAshe, ViXAhri to name a couple) and slice of life-ish plot thrown into the mix. Feedback and suggestions welcome!


Ekko gradually awakened to the toll of a digital alarm clock, the sound heralding the first day of what he had a feeling would be a new kind of routine torture until certain measures had been taken. When the soldiers back at the lab had approached him with their decision to send him off to the academy to further his education-more for their benefit that his own- he had initially been overjoyed at the prospect.

" _You mean it sir, I really get to leave?" The gruff officer nodded, his expression hidden under the standard issued full body armor._

" _Affirmative number Twelve, you along with a select few of your generation of initiates will be heading off to a newly opened academy for further educational purposes. The heads of development believe having a more well rounded education than just what you have received under their tutelage will increase your productivity. Now pack up your possessions and report to the transportation bay in one hour…"_

After all, finally going beyond the limits of the decaying military facility that had been his entire world for years since he was first selected to go there, was a dream come true. A part of him knew that he should not look down upon the camp with such disdain, as harsh as the grunts were on all of the brilliant youth, it was nothing compared to what he had heard living out on the streets to be like.

But a new place to learn and adapt to, even if it was just to educate him a bit more before he was carted back over to the base to continue developing technology in exchange for room and board, was exactly the kind of refreshing change he needed.

With a yawn, the zaunnite would rub the sleep from his eyes and begrudgingly pull back the covers of his bed as he continued to reflect on events that had lead up to his enrollment in the so called "higher _education"_ institution and how there would be a high price to pay if he wished to go there.

" _What do mean I can't take my Z-drive with me?" He had demanded as one of the muscle bound men all but forcibly separated his life's work from him. Rule number one of the Base: you earn your keep or you are out, and if you don't actively have whatever it is you are developing at all times, it is up for grabs and you are left with nothing._ _ **Without technology, you are nothing.**_

" _The prototype device, while your invention, is the property of your government and we reserve all rights to retain it in circumstances where you are not under our direct supervision such as this."_

" _But what am I supposed to do if I get in trouble, I won't be able to correct my mistakes and-"_

" _And you will have to live with them like everyone else. Now I suggest you refrain from speaking out of turn further before you lose your chance to go on your little_ _ **school trip**_ _at all."_

 _Had it not been for the comforting words of the girls later on, he would have been rather tempted to throw the chance of a new student life to the wind in exchange for the comfort of his time traveling device._

" _Aw come on Ekko~, what's the worst that could happen? Look at me, they took my guns away and I didn't throw a fit-don't act like the age you look like kiddo." Jinx joked playfully as she packed what few things she was allowed to take with her._

 _Ekko had glared at her ruefully before noting, "Yeah but what's with all those bits of junk you are bringing along, seems to me like you are trying to have a temporary replacement for them."_

 _Vi had stepped in before the playful argument could escalate. "Whatever works Ekko, you might wanna try finding something like that too, or better yet try and recreate your time travel machine, it's not like you don't know how, just need to find the right base materials right? I know there will be a lab at the school so you should have everything ya need. And don't you worry about the other students there alright?"_

 _She cracked her knuckles before adding with a confident smirk. "Any bullies wanna mess with you two, they'll have to get through me first. Hey look there is our train, come on you two, let's get a good seat…"_

* * *

Blinking out of his reverie, Ekko cursed under his breath as he noted the time. _'Great now I'm going to be late. At least this uniform is more comfortable than the one I have to wear back at the camp…'_

Hastily assembling the uniform and grabbing his bag, Ekko was dashing out the door of his dorm. Having decided he had not the time to eat breakfast like a civilized person, he had merely shoved a portion of his freshly toasted waffle into his mouth, planning to eat it on the way to class.

As luck would have it, he managed to make it to the school just before class had begun. Had he had the time to do so, a part of him may have admired the natural, breathtaking view of the natural Ionian countryside view around the academy, or at least the view of a particularly scantily covered ruby furred vixen lounging in on her back in the outdoor pool that resided directly outside of his dorm. The fox herself had watched him rush past with mild curiosity, given that few would ever pass up a chance of the view, even in a rush… Her eyes flashed with wonder of the odd newcomer behind the black sunglasses that shielded her eyes as she sunbathed upon a floating chair…

As Ekko found his seat in the back of the class, he would take stock of the people around him. None of the primarily Ionian students caught his eyes, the group seeming to be collectively average as a whole. On the bright side, at least Jinx appeared to be in this class, though due to being a row ahead of him, he doubted they would get much of a chance to chat in class.

Once Ekko had settled in his seat, he begrudgingly put on the protective glasses, sighing with relief as the built in filter in the glass eased the strain from his eyes. As with most Zaunnites, he suffered from a minor case of heightened sensitivity to light due to the thick smog and chemicals he was around all the time. Since wearing his typical goggles was against the school dress code, Ekko had to use the dorky looking normal glasses to deal with his photophobia.

With the world back in a clear focus, his eyes locked onto his teacher, who had previously been little more than a large shimmer of golden light. He appeared to be some kind of… bird man? Before Ekko could even raise his hand to inquire about his instructor's identity-and species, the bird began to speak in a proud and commanding tone.

"Greetings students, I am Azir, the emperor of Shurima and I have joined this institute of knowledge so that all may know of the glorious history of Shurima. Before we begin to walk the path of radiance through the shifting sands of the past, I command that each and every one of you-"

He trailed off as the door to the classroom on his left abruptly opened, revealing the cherry colored vixen that Ekko had unknowingly passed on his way to school earlier. Her hair and tails were still damp from the early morning swim, causing many a lecherous stare from the majority of the class as the water droplets dripped down her skin and gave her an overly flustered appearance as she panted slightly from running all the way to class from the pool. All the male students but Ekko-who began to sweat nervously at the glare Jinx was giving him, almost challenging him to dare to look towards the vixen in her current condition- broke out into an admiring murmur despite class being in session.

Composing herself swiftly, she bowed to the class and teacher with a swish of her tails. "I'm so sorry that I was late your Highness~, I spent a little too much time sun bathing today."

The emperor nodded and motioned for the newcomer to take a seat, right beside from Ekko as misfortune would have it. The seat had been occupied by an obviously smitten girl who had all too willingly given up her place for Ahri, though Ekko had no clue as to why the fox had singled him out of the crowd of students to specifically sit beside him. He had a feeling it was not a good time to find out however.

"As a ruler must choose his hour to bask in the glory of the sun, so too must all of you prepare yourself at the right time and arrive punctually. No further tardy shall be tolerated from this day forth by anyone. Now as We were saying, before We begin the first lecture, each of you shall be tested upon what knowledge you _do_ possess of the most important history that you shall ever know. My teaching aids will pass out the tests now…"

A pair of suited men coated-and made of if Ekko had to guess- in sand suddenly appeared on either side of the emperor, carrying what appeared to be ridiculously sized pencils that were roughly the equivalent proportion to a lance on their backs. Silently they distributed the tests before melting back into a puddle of sand, though Ekko found himself nervous of the seemingly normal sand pile resting near his feet.

Without a word, the class began to work on the examination of their knowledge-or lack thereof- regarding Shurima's legacy. Having never even heard of the desert empire before now, Ekko was truly at a loss as to what to put down for each answer, merely guessing each one at random. Even if he doubted that the first test would be for a grade, he still felt an intense pressure to get a perfect score as he would on any test with the aid of his z-drive. It also did not help matters that he began to hear an odd faint hissing noise halfway through the test.

 _"Psst."_

Ekko glanced around for what must have been the fourth time in annoyance since the pop exam began before struggling to refocus his efforts on the test.

" _Psst~_ Ekko down here, what? Did you go deaf when we left Zaun or something?"

Ekko froze in place and nearly snapped his pencil lead in surprise as he glanced down to find Jinx kneeling down underneath his desk, her head resting between his legs casually as she beamed a cheshire grin up towards him.

"J-Jinx what are you- how did you even get under there?"

Her hand shot forward and covered his mouth as she harshly whispered, "Shh! Do you want the bird guy to figure out I'm here?! Now calm down, besides the solders teased us on the way here that _"it's every school boy's dream to have a girl kneeling under his desk~"_ , so today we learned that dreams really do come true. Now to return the favor of making your dream a reality, keep your voice down and show me your answers! How else are we supposed to be study buddies?"

Ekko's eyes narrowed as he replied with a deadpanned expression, "Jinx… I don't think this is exactly what they were joking about."

The girl tilted her head to the side in confusion as she pondered his response, unknowingly moving even closer against him. The light blush that had initially colored Ekko's cheeks upon his discovery of the unexpected visitor began to darken as she moved. "Then what did they mean huh? You know something I don't? Bet you have all the answers to the test as well, huh!?"

Ekko's face felt like it was on fire as he struggled to push Jinx back down as she attempted to crawl upwards and get a look at his test. He covered her mouth with one hand, using the position to push her back. As a result of their power struggle, Jinx never managed to surface above Ekko's desk, but at the same time she never gave all of her ground, resulting in her face halting in advance where she had started near his groin. With her head bobbing with stubborn determination in frantic motions as the girl struggled to raise it up farther, Ekko added, "N-no I don't, Jinx cut it out already! Someone is going to see you-a-and get the wrong idea at this point! And even if they don't why do you need to cheat off me instead of someone closer to where you actually sit?"

Jinx bit down on Ekko's hands to free her mouth, causing Ekko's other hand to cover his mouth as her closed his eyes with a groan of pain.

"Because you are smart and I have no idea about some magic sand castle land far away!"

Ekko risked his hand to cover the girl's mouth once again so he could speak in a hushed tome, which Jinx responded to with a frustrated moan of annoyance.

"And you think _**I**_ know anything more than you about it? I may be a prodigy with technology, but that doesn't mean I know everything about anything not on a workbench!"

With her mouth muffled against the boy's hand again and the side off her face repressed against his inner thigh, Jinx mumbled, "Come on Ekko, I…don't wanna fail my first test, I thought…we were friends? I can make this up to you later. Please I'll do _anything_ for you!"

Before Ekko could even respond to her offer, the pair froze at the sound of a playful giggle to their left. Turning in unison they noticed in horror that the vixen had been recording the easily misinterpreted scene with her phone the whole time.

"And… **upload~!** That was quite a show you two, first day of school and you are already breaking the student code of conduct between opposite genders. How _rebellious_ of you…"

Jinx attempted to launch herself towards the fox in righteous fury but was stopped short as Ekko gripped her braids and tugged her back against him.

"Calm down Doll, she's just trying to bait you, we can't do anything about her right now. Just relax until the end of the class alright?"

Jinx would venomously mumble incoherent words as she rested against the boy's leg with a pout. "Fine, but you owe me ice cream and a trip to the mall later for some new toys…"

"Oh _new toys_ ~? Do tell!" The vixen would comment as she stored the phone back into her bag with another playful giggle.

"N-not like that! Now shut up fox before you get us in trouble." Ekko whispered back as loudly as he dared before turning his attention back to Jinx.

"Deal." Ekko began with a relieved sigh as he began to rub the bluette's shoulders with one hand and grip the test in the other in order to pass it down to her. "So here is what I got so far on the test. How about you copy these and-"

Without warning the ominous voice of the instructor spoke behind them, as if he had materialized out of the sand pile Ekko had forgotten was piled behind him.

"Shurima will broke no offense, if you _**dare**_ to falsify your knowledge of the empire, you shall be judged as is due. The two of you shall serve a time of reflection of your deeds after class today with the Headmistress. Pray that you can endure the sandstorm that is her wrath. Now young one, disentangle yourself from the young man before you, return to your seat and finish the test, _**on your own**_."

* * *

Detention. That is where Ekko found himself with his supposed partner in crime as they awaited the arrival of the headmistress to begin chewing them out.

' _So much for my fresh start in a new place…'_ He thought with a pang of bitterness, though he could not bring himself to really blame Jinx. Had he felt that Jinx -or Vi had their companion been in the class- been more prepared for the test, he would have gone to extremes himself to glean knowledge off of them. Granted since he could travel through time if he had his z-drive, Ekko would never get caught in such an act.

"I need to find a way into the lab and make a new Z-drive asap, or I'm going to go crazy…"

Jinx snickered beside him as she idly ran a hand through his hair, the new style not one to his liking but the academy had forbidden his typical mohawk.

"Maybe you _should_ be the crazy one for a change Ekko… mhm have I ever told you how delicious your hair looks? Like a-"

"Fluffy vanilla sundae, yeah Jinx you told me that about five times on the ride over here yesterday." Ekko sighed heavily as he rubbed his temple, his irritation getting the best of him as he had snapped at her. He hoped the headmistress would arrive soon, he couldn't stand this blatant waiting around, especially without the comforting presence of his Z-drive. As if summoned by his aggravated thoughts, the head woman showed herself into the otherwise deserted classroom at last. The raven haired woman would have been considered beautiful, especially given the almost suggestive cut of her dress, had it not been for the scowl of disapproval on her face.

"My name is Fiora Laurent, and I-as you should know-am your headmistress of this proud Academy for the gifted…" She would begin as she wrote her name upon the chalk board.

"It has come to my attention that the two of you attempted to cheat on a test-an ungraded one I might add- earlier this morning, is that correct?"

Not giving either of the students a chance to defend themselves, she continued. "Such behavior is unacceptable at my institute-especially without reason behind why you did what you have done, and if you to remain at this school, the two of you will conform to my rules-is that **understood**?"

The two would nod silently, their expressions stoic. It was not uncommon for the drill sergeants to give them a similar tongue lashing at times, and thus far the woman before them had not been altogether intimidating-at least compared to the soldiers back home. That was until she lunged forward and brought the end of her ruler to meet the underside of Jinx's chin-as she had made the mistake of glancing away briefly- with a scornful slap as she forced the girl to tilt her head up to face her again.

"You _**will**_ _look me in the eyes_ and give me **the proper respect** that is due of my office. Is that clear?"

Jinx's eyes watered slightly in pain as she bit her tongue from the jerking of her head into position, but nodded. Ekko's fists clenched together as he struggled to not find some way to return the favor to the headmistress. Jinx, sensing how he had suddenly tensed beside her, squeezed his hand in warning.

"And you _**boy**_ , there is no place for a troubled youth with a chip on his shoulder at my school. I suggest you modify your attitude soon unless you wish to return to your city of smog and destitution in disgrace…"

With a scoff, she turned away from the zaunites and motioned to the door with her ruler in a single motion. "I shall hope that my words of warning have been received, your punishment shall be far harsher next time if we do meet again. You are dismissed."

Not trusting himself to speak, he took Jinx's hand and lead her away from the classroom, exiting the room as swiftly as he dared without risking being accused of running in the halls. Once they had reached a safe distance from the classroom, Ekko motioned his companion towards the bench near a row of lockers.

Jinx was oddly silent as she seated herself upon the low bench and awaited Ekko to join her. Once he had done so, Ekko wasted no time in gingerly brushing against the developing bruise with two of his fingers. He noted the way her eyes winced slightly at his touch, but slowly began to close as his cool fingers brushed the area as she hummed with a pleased sigh. Pulling the girl closer he whispered, "I'm sorry Jinx-I don't have my Z-drive, I couldn't rewind and warn you that she was going to hit you back there. I couldn't do anything to stop her or help you, I couldn't-"

Jinx's eyes opened ever so slightly as she stopped him mid-sentence.

"No Ekko- it's alright, ruler lady seems like the type of person that would have hit one of us anyway to make a show of power. Just like how some of the officers back home don't let us eat if we don't produce more results. _You can't fight power without firepower_ , and we left all our stuff at the camp. We will have to figure out a way to make do with whatever we can scrape together around here for now."

The boy nodded, he already had several plans of ways he could reverse engineer various common electronics to suit his needs. The question now was how to acquire them and how to wear his eventual new Z-drive without it being noticed.

"Yeah… you are right Jinx, and we need to do that as soon as we can, who knows what's going to happen next."

Jinx smiled as she cupped her companion's face and leaned closer to whisper, "By the way Ekko…"

She locked her lips with his own, the kiss lasting only a second or two yet to the boy it felt like a year.

"I appreciate what you _wanted to do_ for me at least, even if you were slow on deciding to help me out. Now let's go find Vi and see what she has been up to before we turn into piles of _mush_ like the sand bird's puppets."

Ekko licked his lips before he would reply, savoring the minor taste of the girl's lips that had been somewhat spoiled by the droplets of blood in her mouth. "Y-yeah, let's go…"

* * *

Thank you for reading my first chapter of my Academy story, more chapters are on the way soon! :D

As you may have noted, I use a different background/past for Jinx, Vi, and Ekko, as I feel like it is more fitting and easier to work with.

Also note that as of this point in the story, Jinx is not the fully crazy girl we all know and love, but that will progress over the course of the fanfic.

Anyways I would love feedback and ideas from you guys (since I only really have like 1-2 chapters worth planned as of now) to help grow the story further and get a better idea of all the characters.

Until Next Time! :D


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